Modeling Agent Mobility with UML Sequence Diagram

Mario Kusek and Gordan Jezic

Department of Telecommunications
Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing
University of Zagreb
Unska 3, Croatia, HR-10000
mario.kusek@fer.hr, gordan.jezic@fer.hr,

Abstract: This paper presents a proposal for modeling agent mobility using UML Sequence Diagram. Our
notation is focused on representing agent migration path and includes modeling of three basic mobility
elements: agent creation, mobility path and current agent location. Four variants of graphical notation are
presented. In a case study we explain one variant of notation that is the most suitable for given scenario.

1. Introduction

Agent concepts and mobile software agents have become a part of the system and service
architecture of the new generation networks. Application areas include the use of the agents
in operation and management of networks, systems and services. This is where agent's
mobility offers important advantages.
There are several kinds of diagrams for modeling agent mobility, but these diagrams can be
hardly used for representing moving and execution path. In this paper we propose four
variants of a graphical notation for modeling agent mobility that is based on UML Sequence
Diagram: stereotyped mobility diagram, swimlaned mobility diagram, state representation
mobility diagram, and frame fragment mobility diagram. Our proposal is based on the
problem that moving path is hardly to read from existing notations agent. Three basic
mobility elements are modeled: agent creation, mobility path, and current location. In case
study we explain one variant of notation that is the most suitable for presented price searcher
scenario.
The paper is organized as follows: Section 2 represents related work. Section 3 elaborates
modeling agent mobility using UML Sequence Diagram and includes four variants of
possible graphical notation. Finally, Section 4 gives a case study with price searcher scenario
in which one variant of notation is explained, and Section 5 concludes the paper.

2. Related Work

There exist several diagrams for modeling agent mobility. Some of them are: FIPA modeling
area - deployment and mobility [1], extending Activity Diagrams to model mobile systems
[2], modeling mobile agent applications in UML 2.0 Activity Diagrams [3], Sequence
Diagram for mobility [4], and Agent Modeling Language (AML) [5].

AUML supports modeling of agent mobility in Deployment and Activity Diagram [1]. In
AUML Deployment Diagram it is possible to capture the reason (the why) an agent moves to
a different node and the location (where) it moves. In AUML Activity Diagram it is capable
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to capture the when (timing) a mobile agent leaves a node to move to another. The activity
nodes model plan, while the transitions model events. The when, the mobile agent moves
from node to node is indicated as a note “when: condition” on the transition that leads to the
end point (Figure 1).

(Starts execution in visiting NodeInstance)

Locate information

Obtain information

{When: obtain information plan is complete}

(Leaves NodeInstance)

Figure 1 - Mobility using AUML Activity Diagram

UML is the standard graphical notation for modeling object-oriented software. Extensions of
UML activity diagrams for modeling agent mobility are presented in [2]. Authors introduced
into UML the concepts of location, mobile object, mobile location, move action and clone
action. Two notations of mobility in Activity Diagrams are presented. The first notation is
responsibility centered and focuses on who is performing an action and is based on the
standard notation for activity diagrams. The second notation is location centered and focuses
on where an action is performed, and how activities change this relation (Figure 2).

<<become>>
<<mobile>> Locate information <<mobile>>

Figure 2 - The move action in UML

In [3] authors proposed an extension of Activity Diagrams in UML 2.0. A new stereotype
<<Host>> + parameter is introduced for a swimlane, which represents the location with a
unique name (address) as a parameter in order to capture mobility of agents. Agent
communication and cloning are also defined by existing model elements with a rule for
subactivities. Agent moving from location “host1” to “host2” is represented by using “Go”

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activity (Figure 3).

<<Host>> host1 <<Host>> host2

<<agent>> Agent1
Go Do Task

Figure 3 - “Go” action in UML 2.0

The notation for modeling agent mobility based on UML Sequence Diagram is used in [4].
Author presents Sequence Diagrams for Mobility (SDM), an extension of UML Sequence
Diagrams for modeling mobile objects, interaction between objects and the network topology
of nested objects.

Agent Modeling Language (AML) [5] defines metaclasses used to model structural and
behavioral aspects of entity mobility. Move is depicted as a UML Dependency relationship
with the stereotype <<move>> (Figure 4). MobilityAction is used to model mobility action of
entity and MoveAction is used to model an action that results in a removal of the entity from
its current hosting location.

Host 1 <<move>> Host 2

Figure 4 - Mobility in AML

3. Agent Mobility with Sequence Diagrams

During the modeling agent mobility using existing notations it is noticed that modeling agent
mobility with activity or deployment diagram does not give you the overall view about agent
moving and execution path. Our proposal is to show it using Sequence Diagram. There are
three basic mobility elements that must be shown in diagrams:
• Current agent location,
• Agent mobility path,
• Location of agent creation.
In next section we introduce four variants of representing agent mobility in sequence
diagram.
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3.1. Stereotyped Mobility Diagram

In stereotyped mobility diagram we introduce three stereotypes (Figure 5). Agent is

represented with stereotype <<agent>>. At the beginning of the diagram, agent is located at
node n1 what is represented as a message with stereotype <<at>>. After that, agent moves
from this location to location at node n2, and that is represented with message and stereotype
<<move>>. When the agent creates a new agent, it is indirectly done by sending message to
node where the new agent should be created.

Figure 5 – Stereotyped Mobility Diagram

This representation of mobility is similar to [4]. Mobility is based on representing the change
of the state of object that moves from one location to another. Agent moves by sending
stereotyped message to the node where it wants to go. This representation gives overall view
of nodes and agent mobility path. The downside of this notation is that for each node there is
an object that represents the node. In the case of large number of nodes, the diagram is
useless.

3.2. Swimlaned Mobility Diagram

In swimlaned mobility diagram (Figure 6) a node is represented by swimlane with stereotype

<<node>>. Swimlane represents execution at the specified node. An agent moved from one
node to another is represented by message with stereotype <<move>> but the lifeline of agent
at source is terminated and new representation at destination is created. Creating new agent is
represented by message new and agent is created at the same node. Indirect creation of agent
can not be represented in this diagram.

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 Figure 6 – Swimlaned Mobility Diagram

The diagram has clear representation of mobility and needs less space than stereotyped
diagram but in the case of large number of nodes it is also useless.

3.3. State Representation Mobility Diagram

Idea for this diagram is taken from [4] where the mobility is represented by changing the state
of the moving agent. In this diagram (Figure 7), mobility is represented with the state element
in sequence diagram as specified in UML 2.0 specification [6]. State element starts with “at
node” and the rest is node name where agent is placed. When an agent moves from one node
to another, a new state represents mobility. Creating new agent is represented with new
message and after creation; agent must have state with specified node.

Figure 7 – State Representation Mobility Diagram

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This diagram is good solution for notation of agent moving and execution in the multi-agent
system with large number of nodes. The shortcoming is poorer representation of mobility.
This diagram consumes more space in vertical representation than the former. In the practice,
programming and debuging agents, for instance JADE [7] agents, programmer is using
Sniffer agent [8] to represent message exchanging in Sequence Diagram. This diagram is
candidate for implementing mobility in Sniffer agent because it is very similar to classic
Sequence Diagram.

3.4. Frame Fragment Mobility Diagram

Frame Fragment Mobility diagram represents mobility with frame fragments in sequence
diagram (Figure 8). Each frame fragment, with interaction operation node, represents
execution on that node. Agent mobility is represented by entering next fragment.

Figure 8 –Frame Fragment Mobility Diagram

This diagram it better than state representation mobility diagram because mobility is more
clear and occupied space is smaller. In some cases it is not possible to order agents in a way
that one frame fragment can represent agents at the same node.

4. Case study: Simple price searcher

The case study includes (Figure 9) three network nodes: Home, Host1 and Host2. On Host1
and Host2 resides store agent, which is responsible for providing pricelist. The Searcher
agent is created on Home node. Input parameters are list of nodes and the item. The Searcher
agent migrates from Home node to Host1 node and requests Store1 agent to give it the price
list. The Store1 agent responds with the whole pricelist. The Searcher extracts the price for
the item and migrates to the next node. After visiting all nodes the Searcher agent migrates
back to the Home node and informs the user where and at what price it has found the
specified item.

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 Store 1
Price list
1 Caffe 6€
Juice 10€
Host 1
Searcher

2
Home

Store 2
Price list
Caffe 5€
3
Juice 12€
Host 2

Figure 9 - Price searcher scenario

This case study is shown using Stereotyped Mobility Diagram (Figure 10). Stereotyped
Mobility Diagram is chosen because the system includes only mobile agents and small
number of nodes. This notation clearly represents agent execution and mobility path.

<<host>> <<host>> <<agent>> <<host>> <<agent>>

home host1 store1 host2 store2
create agent
new <<agent>>
searcher
get
request

<<move>>

get price list

price list
<<move>>

get price list

price list
<<move>>
show
results

Figure 10 – Stereotyped Mobility Diagram of Scenario

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5. Conclusion

The motivation of this paper is to model agent mobility and focusing on notation of agent
migration path. We proposed four variants of modeling agent mobility based on UML
Sequence Diagram notations. Stereotyped Mobility Diagram can be used for modeling agent
systems with small number of nodes. It clearly represent agent execution and mobility path.
Swimlaned Mobility Diagram needs less space than Stereotyped Mobility Diagram but it is
not suitable for large number of nodes. Multi-agent systems with mobile agents and large
number of nodes can be modeled with State Representation Mobility Diagram in which
mobility is represented with the state element in Sequence Diagram. The approach which
requests smaller space in notation is Frame Fragment Mobility Diagram suitable for large
number of nodes where mobility is represented by entering next fragment. It is not always
possible to use Frame Fragment Mobility Diagram and in this case agent mobility path would
be represented with State Representation Mobility Diagram.

6. References

[1] FIPA Modeling TC, FIPA Modeling Area: Deployment and Mobility, 2003/05/13,
http://www.auml.org/auml/documents/DeploymentMobility.zip
[2] Baumeister, Nora Koch, Piotr Kosiuczenko, and Martin Wirsing. Extending Activity
Diagrams to Model Mobile Systems. In M. Aksit, M. Mezini, and R. Unland, editors,
Objects, Components, Architectures, Services, and Applications for a Networked World.
International Conference NetObjectDays, NODe 2002, Erfurt, Germany, Oct. 7-10, 2002.
Revised Papers, volume 2591 of LNCS, pages 278-293. Springer Verlag, 2003.
http://www.pst.informatik.uni-
muenchen.de/~baumeist/publications/netobjectdays2002.pdf
[3] Miao Kang, Lan Wang, and Kenji Taguchi, Modelling Mobile Agent Applications in
UML 2.0 Activity Diagrams, 2004/04/21, http://www.auml.org/auml/supplements/UML2-
AD.pdf
[4] P. Kosiuczenko, Sequence Diagrams for Mobility, Krogstie J. (ed.): Proc. of
MobIMod workshop Tampere, Finland, October 2002, LNCS, Springer, Berlin to appear
Springer http://www.pst.informatik.uni-muenchen.de/personen/kosiucze/SDM.pdf
[5] Radovan Cervenka, Ivan Trencansky, Agent Modeling Language, Language
Specification, Version 0.9, Whitestein Technologies AG, 2004/12/20,
http://www.whitestein.com/resources/aml/wt_AMLSpecification_v0.9.pdf
[6] OMG, Unified Modeling Language: version 2.0 (UML 2.0), Final Adopted
Specification, 2003, http://www.uml.org/#UML2.0
[7] Java Agent DEvelopment Framework (JADE), http://jade.tilab.com/
[8] JADE Sniffer Agent, http://jade.tilab.com/doc/tools/sniffer/index.html